virgin beginners help please

[Lydart]

(Is anyone else as amused as me every time 'virgin beginners help please' comes on the unread posts thingie ?    I thought all virgins WERE beginners !      )

[Roger The Hat]

(Is anyone else as amused as me every time 'virgin beginners help please' comes on the unread posts thingie ?    I thought all virgins WERE beginners !      )

Of course we are not amused.....

(sniggersniggersnigger!)


I unplug my important stuff (non domestic) every night because of the damage that was caused by lightning on one occasion.

Of course, lightning strikes are rare, but I feel safer.


'Hat.

[johngirl]

  Lydart

  johngirl

[falcybe]

I agree with Guy and Nick29 and anyone else who turns everything off at night and unplugs when they go away for a day or 14 in case lightning strikes. In fact lightning did strike a few weeks ago with a terrific bang. Whoever built our house (in the 1930's) new what they were doing because only a few roof tiles jumped and landed skewiff.

Anyway, I turn on in the order, 1. screen 2. plug in router/modem combination 3 turn on pc and I still have to reset the router sometimes. And why that order? Because it seems natural. Anyway it works so I'm happy and I'm saving money while I sleep. 

cheers falcybe

[lesleyhannah]

Can i as ask another virgin beginners' question please? I'm sort of settled with my broadband now, but I still don't know how to use the wireless router. It's blinking away in my bedroom, next to my desktop. The idea was I'd be able to use my laptop in the living room (well, really I was persuaded by the lad on the phone!). But the man who fitted the modem didn't tell me how to do this, so I rang the technical help, at the other side of the world. The young man there was obviously very bright and not at all used to dealing with idiots like me, and didn't seem to know what my problem was. We only got as far as the fact that I needed a blue cable. A rather more helpful girl in Scotland sent me one of these cables, but I still don't know what I'm supposed to do with it - I guess one end goes in my laptop but where does the other end go, and how will I know if it's in the right port?

As it is I suspect I'll still be sitting her with a useless blue cable and a useless laptop this time next year, but I can't face another lengthy phone call to the technical helpline. Can anyone help please?

Thanks
Lesley

[Calverley Lad]

The 'blue' cable is used to connect the wireless router to your desktop PC.
As supplied (without router) the desktop pc is connected directly to cable modem (assuming you have a cable connection rather than via a phone line).
To use the router, disconnect the cable from desktop and connect to router.
The 'blue 'cable then goes from router to socket on pc (daisy chain style)
Setting up instructions can be seen on Virgin home page here:
 https://my.virginmedia.com/dashboard/start
 Regards Brian

[falcybe]

hello lesleyhannah,

As your pc (or desktop or whatever you currently have in your bedroom) was working and connected to the internet then you did not need a blue or any other colour cable. The reason for a router is so that your modem which is connected to the outside world (through the telephone wire or other cable or even by satellite for example) can be connected to computers in the same room or another room/house/street by wireless. In fact my one and only pc could pick up the connection through my router without a cable joining it. However I have chosen to connect by cable (yellow in my case in Belgium) because, well because.....

When my daughter visits us with her laptop and wishes to connect to the internet she just turns on and "asks" her laptop to find a wireless broadcast/connection of internet. One of the several connections she finds is mine and as I have SET MY PASSWORD she needs to know that in order to use it.

So the very important question for you to answer here is HAVE YOU SET YOUR PASSWORD on your router? If not then anyone within a short distance of your house can use your internet connection, using up what you have paid for and perhaps leading you to pay more if all your "bandwith" supplied with your contract is used up.

If the answer is either NO or Don't know then put the details of your router on this post and someone who has the same router will lead you through it.

cheers falcybe
ps: I'm not shouting above with my capitals, I'm emphasizing 

[lesleyhannah]

Hello Brian and falcybe. Thank you both for your replies which I've just picked up. I'm too tired to take anything in at the moment, but am going to print off what you have said, Brian, and try it tomorrow (if I do things when I'm tired it's always disastrous!). But your instructions seem very clear, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Falcybe, I'll read your message again in the morning. At the moment I'm filled with panic. I haven't done anything to my router - the man from virgin came and set it up and went away again. Since then I haven't touched it. I now turn it off at night, and that's my only involvement with it. I have no idea how you put a password on it. I don't know what you mean about neighbours being able to use my connection, but it sounds terrifying - can they tap into my computer? I've decided I hate virgin as they didn't give me any advice about any of this. They sold me their most expensive package because the young lad on the phone said it came with 'security' so I just thought I was 'secure'. Well, I'll look at it again tomorrow and hope it won't seem so scary!

Thank you both for your help, though. More useful than virgin helpline.

[falcybe]

Hello lesleyhannah,

I'm sorry if I made you panic, it wasn't my intention.

Nobody can get into your computers through your router not having a password on it. The reason for the password is to stop others using your connection (paid for by you for your benefit) to the internet.

in 999 times out of a thousand there will be no-one trying to get a free ride to the internet, especially in a residential area where everyone will (normally) be connected through their own provider. An exception to this 'rule' is for example when one daughter took a flat in Brussels and turned her laptop on to see what. She managed to connect to the internet through someone else's server while waiting for her own line to be set up. As she only read e-mails and google searches it is very doubtful that the other person would have noticed the little extra usage.

The thing to do now is post the make and model of your router. Someone will be able to guide you through setting it up. Very very simple to do once you know how.